Issue 2007.01
January 2, 2007

Short Notices

Editor's Trips


Voices

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God. -- Galatians 4:4-7

Thank You Note

§  Mary Beth Sarhatt, pastor of First Baptist Church, Kalamazoo, writes, "Thank you very much for your prayers and cards when Jon had his heart attack. We appreciated all of them. He was able to go back to work in mid-December. He's lost 17 pounds and is going to cardiac rehab three times a week. We'll see the cardiologist in February for a follow-up. Right now things look good! Thank you again for your care of us. -- Mary Beth Sarhatt and Jon Start"

Church Health Assessment 2007

by Ron Cary


Ron Cary

A church health assessment helps church leaders reflect in specific and strategic ways about enhancing the health of the congregation. The American Baptist Churches of Michigan, through the work of Ron Cary, Consultant for Church Health, offers four levels of assessment, most of which can be accomplished in a workshop format of about 2-3 hours. The health assessment opportunities are described below. If you are interested in doing an assessment in your church in 2007, or if you wonder which level of assessment might be most helpful to your church, please contact Ron Cary at 1-800-636-2671 or rcary@abc-mi.org.

Level One Assessment: Keeping Conflict Healthy

Every congregation experiences some level of conflict on a regular basis. Some congregations are able to deal with conflict in a healthy way. In other congregations conflict is dysfunctional in nature, harming relationships and the work of the church. A level one conflict assessment workshop, designed for 12-15 participants, can help in the following ways:

¶ Helps participants understand the predictable way that conflict escalates in a congregation;
¶ Facilitates a dialogue allowing participants to identify the level of conflict at work in the congregation;
¶ Suggests possible next steps for the congregation to transform its dysfunctional conflict into functional conflict.

Level Two: Determining Change Readiness

The objective of assessment at this level is to help a congregation determine whether or not it is healthy enough to begin a change process, without throwing the congregation into major conflict. This church health workshop, designed for 35 ­ 50 participants, helps to understand the work of the church in three ways:

¶ By evaluating the congregations readiness to change and grow by assessing three areas of health: organizational, relational, and spiritual;
¶ By helping participants discover and claim strengths and weaknesses in each of the three areas of congregational life;
¶ By helping participants engage the areas of strength and improve the areas of weakness in the next year by introducing change in incremental steps.

Level Three: Determining Change Strategy

The objective of assessment at this level is to help a congregation with some experience dealing with change craft a strategy which will build greater health and bear good fruit. Adapted from the work of George Bullard, this assessment helps the congregation identify the life cycle they reside in, and it helps church leadership establish an effective change strategy to match that life cycle. This assessment is primarily designed for use with the leadership of the church.

Level Four: Determining Change Focus

The objective of assessment at this level is to help a congregation select a focus for leveraging change efforts within the church. Using a program and process called Natural Church Development, this assessment assists a congregation that has already done some serious work with change, to identify a strategic area of focus and growth to be addressed over a 10 ­ 12 month period of time. Natural Church Development makes use of a trained outside consultant who works with congregational leaders to select an assessment group and craft an action plan.

You May Want To Consider The Alpha Course For Your Church

The Alpha course

The Alpha course provides an opportunity for anyone to explore the Christian faith in a relaxed, non-threatening setting over ten thought-provoking weekly sessions. It is low-key, friendly and fun -- and it is a non-denominational Christian program. The Region office has several resources that will help you understand and get started with Alpha in your church and community. Video resources include: What is Alpha? an introduction to the Alpha course; and How to Run the Alpha Course. Call the Region office (1-800-632-2953) if you are interested in seeing these and other resources related to the Alpha program.

Check Out This Church Health Resource From Judson Press

Church Growth from an African American Perspective, by Donald Hilliard, Jr., Pastor of Cathedral International, Perth Amboy, New Jersey.

After taking his congregation from 125 members to its current membership of 7,000, Bishop Hilliard shows church leaders how to grow spiritually healthy congregations. He points to critical factors such as vision, the centrality of Christ, biblical preaching, sound doctrine, being people-oriented rather than program-oriented, tithing, and good Christian education as necessary for healthy growth. Each chapter features interactive "Action Steps" designed to motivate and guide leaders in their quest to grow healthy churches. Order the book from Judson Press by calling 1-800-458-3766 or visit the website at www.judsonpress.com.

Short Notices

All current and retired Professional Church Leaders should have received in mail within the last two weeks their 2007 Professional Registry Questionnaire. The letter accompanying this form stated that the 2006 Registry was included in the mailing. Unfortunately, this was overlooked when the mailing was processed. If you need to see a copy of this report, please call (800.632.2953, ext 231) or email Lillian Hawkins (lhawkins@abc-mi.org) at the Region office. Once the 2007 Registry is updated, it will be posted in the Document Library on the ABC-MI website and an announcement will be made in E-Link.

The Detroit area MOSES organization will host its 10th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. banquet on January 15, 2007, at the Burton Manor in Livonia. Guest speaker is Tony Campolo. Tickets are $30.00 for members and $60.00 for non-members. Call 313-962-5290, Ext. 13 to purchase tickets.

Read the latest issue of International Ministries Prayer Call: http://abc-mi.org/elink/prayer-call.pdf.

Read the latest Friendship House newsletter: http://abc-mi.org/elink/fh.pdf

The next issue of E-Link Online will be published on January 15. Please send news items and notices to the Editor (editor@abc-mi.org) by January 11.

Editor's Trips

Disclaimer: listing of these references does not imply endorsement of positions or policies advocated in them by either the American Baptist Churches of Michigan or the editor of E-Link Online. Caveat lector.

The Editor
The Editor
§  Come for the funeral, stay for the food
§  Letting Go -- Miroslav Volf on forgiveness
§  Proportionate Giving -- You vs. the Billionaire
§  Bethlehem's Wailing Wall
§  Resisting the Clutches of Consumerism -- William Willimon
§  What's the Mission of "Missions"? -- Alban Weekly